■BASEBALL
Torre criticizes A-Rod
Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is scathingly critical of superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez and general manager Brian Cashman in his new book called The Yankee Years. The New York Post reports that Torre claims in the book that Rodriguez’s teammates dubbed him “A-Fraud” after the three-time Most Valuable Player developed an obsession with Yankees captain Derek Jeter. Torre also claims that Rodriguez asked for a personal clubhouse attendant to run errands for him. Torre, who became manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after an acrimonious split with the Yankees, was also critical of Cashman, saying the general manager never told the team’s ownership that Torre wanted a two-year contract.
■SOCCER
Broken net causes confusion
A Brazilian match was held up for nearly 10 minutes due to confusion over a broken net. Trouble started in the second half of Saturday’s Rio de Janeiro state championship match between Boavista and Botafogo when a header from Botafogo striker Alessandro ended up in the net. A goal was given but television replays clearly showed the ball had hit the ground wide of the goal and bounced in through a hole in the side. Boavista players protested but, after several minutes of consultations, the referee again pointed to the center circle. The protests continued, the referee and linesman consulted again for another three minutes and the goal was eventually confirmed for a second time. As Boavista players refused to re-start the game, there were more deliberations and the referee finally back-tracked and awarded a goal kick.
■RUGBY UNION
All Black hero turns Aussie
The All Blacks and New Zealand suffered a shock loss yesterday when the only All Blacks skipper to hoist the rugby World Cup switched teams and became an Australian. David Kirk, who led the All Blacks to victory in the inaugural 1987 World Cup final, became Australia’s newest citizen in a ceremony aptly held on Australia Day. “We’ve lived here as a family for 10 years. My children have grown up here, particularly the younger one, and it just seemed like the right time,” he told Television Three News. But Kirk said his heart still belonged to New Zealand and he would hold dual citizenship: “I grew up in New Zealand. My heart, my emotion, my commitment of course is to New Zealand.” Kirk also confirmed he would always back the All Blacks over the Wallabies. “Of course I’m an All Blacks supporter. I’m a massive All Blacks supporter and it’s the All Blacks all the way,” he said.
■CRICKET
Afghanistan bounce back
Afghanistan recovered from their first day defeat to Uganda to beat Hong Kong by 13 runs on Sunday to get their World Cricket League Division Three campaign back on track and keep their hopes of reaching April’s 2011 World Cup qualifier alive. Hong Kong were reduced to 90-8 as they chased a 202-run victory target but came close to an unlikely win with a ninth-wicket stand of 62 and 36 for the final wicket. None of Hong Kong’s top eight batsmen got beyond 20 but some late-order hitting from Moner Ahmed, who scored 49 off 38 balls, including three consecutive sixes off Mohammad Nabi, threatened a dramatic finish. No. 11 Nadeem Ahmed then scored 27 off 18 balls, only to be dismissed by Nabi when a top-edged hook was caught on the boundary by Mawais Naziri.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
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